126 About Breeches and Boots. 



bury, a plain-spoken old Tory, and Chairman of the House 

 of Lords, a great character in his day, sotto voce made a 

 remark in fun about the Corn Bill, which would have 

 brought the roof of Exeter Hall down. I was at the Bar 

 of the House and heard what he said. Sir Tatton Sykes, 

 as I have heard, though I never had the pleasure of seeing 

 that grand old sportsman, always adopted the breeches and 

 gaiters when not in tops. 



In books of my childhood, pictures of heroes of crime, 

 such as ''Dick Turpin," " Black Bill," &c., the bad man in 

 the " Gipsy's Curse and the Murderer's Doom," and stories 

 of a similar kind, always represented men in tops, yellow 

 breeches, red waistcoats, blue or green coats, and they wore 

 black mutton-chop whiskers. Doubtless Mr. Thurtell had 

 his top-boots on when he drove Mr. William Weare down 

 in a gig, and cut his throat, near Elstree, though the 

 ingenious Madame Tussaud, who, for the instruction of 

 future generations, exhibits the old gallows which she 

 bought from the authorities of Hertford Gaol, w^hen public 

 executions ceased, represents the figure of Mr. Thurtell 

 stepping to his doom, attired in the drab breeches and 

 gaiters, which I claim as an emblem of respectability. 

 Highwaymen, who always were hung in uniform, doubtless 

 went off the ladder in their tops and boots, which, so to say, 

 were " treed " at Tyburn or some suburban gallows. 



Individuals were styled after their boots ; crede Dickens 

 in '' Pickwick " — " IFAo is there in the house?" said Sam 

 (Weller). " There is a wooden leg in No. 6 ; there's a pair 

 of Hessians in No. 13 ; there's two pairs of halves in the 

 commercial ; there's these here painted tops in the snuggery 

 inside the bar ; and five more tops in the coffee-room." 



From what I remember of post-boys of the past, I 

 fear their boots and breeches were seldom found in the 

 attitude of prayer. They lived a very hard life, often com- 



